Railroad transfer-table.



No. 731,806. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

' A. NELSON & P. X. HERRMANN.

RAILROAD TRANSFER TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED o0'r.1s, 1902. no MODEL. a sums-sum 1.

Wi'l QSSQ m by L, r @jqfiargz ys" Trl: NORRIS PETERS CO, PNQTQ- ON. D C

No. 731,806. f PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. A. NELSON & F. X. HERRMANN.

RAILROAD TRANSFER TABLE. APPLICATION FILED 001218. 1902. up MODEL. a SHEETS-SHEET z.

' PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. A. NELSON & F. X. HERRMANN. w

RAILROAD TRANSFER TABLE.

APPLICATION TILED 0053.18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

l 1 UNITED STATES PATENT Patented June 23, 1903b OFFICE.

AUGUST NELSON AND FRANK X. I'IERRMANN, OF MANITOWOO, WISCONSIN;

.SAIDTH Wisconsin.

RRMANN ASSIGNOR TO M. .V. OOCHEMS, OF STURGEON BAY,

RAILROAD TRANSFER-TABLE.

'srEoIFrcA'rmN ibrming art of Letters Patent No. 731,806, dated June 23, 1 903. V

l 7 Application filed October 18, 1902. Serialllo. 127,883. (No model.)

To all whom/ lit may concern: v

Be it"knownthat we, AUGUST NELSON and FRANK X. HEBRMANN, citizens of the Unit-ed States, residingat Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowoci'and State of Wisconsin, have inventeda new anduseful Railroad Transfer Table, of which-the following is a specification. 1 l I Theinvention relates to improvements in railroad. transfer-tables.

ing the-same,*andtofprovide a simple and comparatively.inexpensive one of great strength and durability adapted to be readily handledand capable of rapidly transferring}, cars from one track to another, whereby the cars of a train may be quickly distributed.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended;

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan viewot' a railroad.transfer-table constructed in accordancewith this invention. Fig. 2 is a re-' the steam-cylinder.

Like numerals of reference designate correspondingparts in all the figures of the drawings. V l

1 designates a transversely-movable table, which may be constructed of any suitable material and which is provided at-intervals with shafts uarries-2, disposed longitudinally of the rails and provided at intervals with carwheels3. The shafts maybe jou rnaled in any suitable manner, and the car-wheels 3 are arranged upon. rails 4,. disposed transversely of the tracks and located .below the. same in a suitable pit, or the tracks may be elevated, if desired. Any desired number of tracks maybe provided, as will be readily understood; but the transfer-table is preferably provided with five tracks 5, as indicated 'in'Fig. liof the drawings, and is designed to be operated in connection with tracks 6. These tracks are designed in practice to be located at the upper end of a yard and to be connected above and below the transfer-table by suitable switches, which may'also be utilized in transferring the cars fromone track to an- The object of the present invention is toimprove the construction of railroad transfer; tables, more especially the means for operatother. The upper switches may be omitted, if desired, and in practice the transfer-table the same are designed to be arranged at a sufficient inclination to cause the car to move downward ofi the transfer-table when released, as hereinafter explained. By this construction a car may be run on the transfer-table, uncoupled from therest of the train, and the transfer-table moved to aline the car with another rail, and as soon as the car on the transfer-table is released it will. move downward oif the same by gravity. By this meansithe cars of a train may be quickly distributed to their respective tracks.

. The transfer-table is preferably operated by means of a steam-cylinder 9, provided at opposite sides of its center with feed-ports 10 and having a slide-valve 11. The feed-ports communicate with theinterior of the cylinder, adjacent to the ends thereof, in order to impart a full stroke to the piston 12, and the slide-valve, which is arranged within a suitable valve-casing, is provided with a hollow lower portion forming a chamberl3, which is always in communicationwith an exhaustportl i and with one of" the feed-ports 10,

whereby steam is admitted atone end of the cylinder and is permitted to exhaust from the opposite end of the same. The slide-valve is connected by a suitable rod 15 with an operating-lever l6, and the steam or other fluid for operating the piston may-besupplied in any suitable manner, as will. be readily understood. The piston-rod iscOnnected with a cross-head 17, mounted insuitable ways 18 and connected with the center of the transfertable by means of a connecting-rod. 19.

The platform is locked against movement to retain its tracks 5 in register with the adjacent tracks 6 by means of a pair of yieldand the adjacent portions of the tracks below ably-supported slidable bolts or locking-bars 20, arranged in suitable guides 21 and connected by pivots 22 with bars 23. ends of the bolts are adapted to engage notches or recesses 24, located at opposite sides of the pit or space in which the transfertable operates and forming shoulders for engaging the bolts. The guides consist of movable casings provided at opposite sides with ears and pivoted to cushioned rods 25, which are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the table. Each guide-rod 25 has its outer portion arranged in a suitable guide 26 and isprovided at its outer end with a stop 27, and a'coiled spring 28 is disposed on the outer portion of the rod 25 and is interposed between the guide 26 and the stop 27. The rods 25 maybe cushioned in any other desired manner, and they are adapted to permit a limited lateral movement of the bolt to relieve the same when the said boltsengage the notches. Theinner ends of the connecting-rods, which are arranged between suitable guide-rollers 29, are provided with antifriction-rollers or other suitabledevices and are engaged with divergent-Ways: 30 of a reciprocating wedge 31, which is operated by the means hereinafter. described. The reciprocation of the wedge is adapted to extend and retract the locking bars or bolts, ,aswill be readily apparent.= I

The reciprocating wedge, which may consist of separate castings or sections secured together, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, can be constructed in any other desired manner,

and itis connectedatits apex by a rod 32 with an operating-lever 33, fulcrumed'at its lower end on a suitablebracket 34 and extending upward through a slot or opening of anextension or platform 35 at one end of the trans: fer-tables Therod 32 is connected with the wedge above the pivotal point of the lever, which is also connected with a coiled spring 36, locatedin rear of the lever 33 and adapted to drawtherwedge forward to carry the slidingbolts into engagement-with the recesses 24 when the boltsare freeto move, and it is also adapted to hold the'bolts in engagement with thesaid recesses. The operating-lever 33 is designed to be provided with a suitable locking device, such. as a spring-actuated-detentand a toothed segment, forholding the boltsout of engagement with the recesses 24. The coiled spring 36, which is located beneath the platform 35, is preferably secured at one end-to the framework of the same, and its other end is connected bya link 37 with thelever,as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The cars. are retained on the transfer-table by meansof vertically-movable lockingblocks 38, arranged in pairs at each track, and

The outer the wheels of a car, and they are moved vertically by means of slides 41, arranged in suitable guides 42 and provided withinclined slots 43, which receive the transverse rod 39, whereby when the slides are reciprocated the locking-blocks 38 will be moved vertically. The slides are connected by rods 44 with arms 45 of a rock-shaft 46, extending to the extension or platform of the table and provided thereat with an upwardly-extending operating-arm 47. These operatingarms, which extend upward through slots 48 of the extension or platform of the transfer-table, are located at different points, the rock-shafts being gradually increased in length from one side of the extension or platform, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The operating arms or levers of the rock-shafts and the operating-lever which controls the locking device for holding the transfer-table stationary are arranged within convenient reach'of a person standing upon the extension or platform By .7

this arrangement the operator is enabled to control the locking mechanism and the means I for holding the cars on the table and the cars may be readily released when theyare brought in alinement with the propertracks.

i The recesses or cut-away-portions'42 of the rails are of suificient size to permitthe vertically-movableblocksto have a limited oscillatory movement, and these blocks are con-" nected with cushioned rods 49,. which cushion theblockswhen the cars come in contact-with thesame,whereby the blocksarerelieved of jar and strain. The rods 49, which are connected at their inner endswith the blocks, have their outer ends arranged in suitable guides 50 and are engaged bysprings 51, interposed between theguides 50 and suitablestops 52, as clearly illustrated in Fig.5 of the drawings.

These cushioned rods arearranged in pairs,-as

shown; but they maybe mou-nted'in any other desired manner.

i The locking devices may-be advantageously employed on rotary transfer or turn tables,

and the cushioned rodsumay be trussedor otherwise braced to secure the necessary strength; also, steam, air, hydraulic pressure,

electricity, or any other motive power may be employed for actuating the.rtransfer-table,-

and we desire it to beIu-nderstood that varioils changes in the form, proportion, size, and

the minor details of construction within the "I 20 scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing: from the spirit or sacrififcing any of the advantages of thisinventionw What is claimed is- 1. The combination with a reciprocatory transfer-table, of a cylinder having its axis arranged in the plane of movement of the table, a piston disposed in the cylinder, a cross head connected with, the piston, cross-head guides, a bar connecting thecross-head with the platform, a plurality of laterally-yieldable i bolts carried by the table, and guides or 'recesses for the reception of said bolts, substan .tially as specified.

locking-block, a rodconnectedwith the block,

acoiled'spring disposed on the rodand engaging the said cushioned block, and means for raising and lowering the block, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a vertically-movable block, a reciprocating slide having inclined edges connected with and arranged to raise and lower the block when the slide is reciprocated, and means for operatingthe slide,

. substantially as described.

5. The combination of a vertically-movable locking-block, a reciprocating slide provided with. an inclined. slot connected .with. the

block and arranged to raise and lower the same when the slide is reciprocated, substantially as described.

6. The combination of' vertically-movable locking-blocks, a rod connecting the same, reciprocating slides having inclined slots receiving the rod, a rock-shaft provided with arms connected withthe slides, and means for operating the rock-shaft, substantially as described.

7. The combination of vertically-movable. locking-blocks, a' transverse rod connecting the same, reciprocating slides having inclined slotsreceiving the transverse rod, a rock-shaft having armsconnected with the slides, means for operating the rock-shaft, and longitudinal rods provided with cushioning devices and connected with the i described. 40

blocks, substantially as 8. The combination of a transfer-table, a reciprocating bolt, a guide receivingthe bolt,

cushions arranged at opposite sides of the guide and connected with the same,and means for operating the bolt, substantially as described.

9- The combination of a transfer-table,sliding bolts, connecting-bars pivoted to the bolts and provided with antifriction devices, areciprocating device having divergent ways re .bolts and adapted to move the same inward and outward, and means for operating the said device, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a transfer-table, oppositely-disposed bolts, a reciprocating wedge connected with the bolts and adapted to move the same inward and o utward,a spring for moving the wedge in one direction, and means for moving the wedge in the opposite direc* tion, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a transfer table having an extension or platform at one end, locking mechanism for holding the transfertable stationary provided with an operatinglever arranged at the extension or platform, locking devices for retaining cars on the table, and operating levers or arms arranged at'different points on the extension or platform and connected with the locking devices, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in thepresence of two witnesses.

AUGUST NELSON. FRANK X. HERRMANN.

Witnesses:

O. F. REUTHHER, FRANK A. MILLER. 

